Young Blood Designers Market 2010

First published on 19 Jul 2010. Updated on 5 Apr 2011.

Entering its sixth year, the Young Blood: Designers Market allows you to buy fashion, jewellery and objects direct from emerging Australian designers.
 
Unlike standard arts and crafts markets, Young Blood's continual success is based on its concentration of unique, high quality designs. More than 100 applicants hope to appear at the museum's market but less than half secure a spot.

"The basic criteria is whether it's original; well-made; an innovative product; and how the product is presented," says Jane Latief, Powerhouse Museum's Sydney Design Program Manager. The market curators also ensure that they feature stalls for different design categories - ranging from fashion to stationery.

"It's not about age - it's about where you are in your career," Latief says.

To Mindy McInnes' surprise, mature-aged entrants are warmly welcome. The 51-year-old mother of two was one of the first applicants to finalise a stall for her shoemaking business, St Looi Blues. 

McInnes spent four years studying the shoemaking and it took her another five years to take her handmade pieces to the world. "At first I was a bit worried that they might fall to pieces. I've got a bit more confidence now," she says.

With the markets expected to attract over 5,000 visitors, McInnes needs as much confidence as she can muster. "You're putting yourself on the line - you're taking what you've been putting your heart and soul into. You're exposed to everybody," she says.

Latief was excited to take McInnes onboard. "We haven't had a shoemaker before and the quality of her work is so high. Handmade shoes are almost a dying art in Australia," says Latief. 

For more hands-on visitors, two designers will be running workshops. Each stall will sell construction kits for tutorials on knitting and cross-stitching. "It's exposing people to crafts and getting back to the basics of doing things yourself," Latief says.

This year, Designboom mart will also be returning alongside Young Blood. Designboom showcases international designers who often produce one-off designs that are exclusively sold for the duration of the market.
Emily Cheng